Every sheet has a primary column. This column is mandatory and cannot be deleted from a sheet. The value in this column is frequently the main descriptor for the row.

When you create a new item in Smartsheet, the primary column is set automatically—in Grid View, it will be the left-most column. When you create a new sheet by importing data from another program, you'll be asked to designate the primary column.

Once the primary column is set, you can’t designate another column to be the primary.

Primary Column Properties

With the exception of the column name, you cannot change the properties of the primary column. Here's a list of the properties:

The column name is in bold text (this is the only column name with this this property)

Primary Column Name: Best Practices

When you name the primary column, use a descriptive name for it: Client Name, Task Name, Order Number, Part Number, and so on. The primary column is used to identify the row when you use features such as Send row or Request update; using a descriptive name will help keep things straight as you communicate about the row or request information from other Smartsheet users.

TIP: While you can’t designate another column as the primary, you can insert a new column to your sheet, cut and paste the data in the cells from the exiting primary column to this newly inserted column, and paste the preferred data into the empty primary column.